December 21, 2015

Hello...It’s Me: Consumers Call Businesses More Than A Thousand Times on Holidays

Ahh, the holidays. The season for food, festivity and, dare we say, a little too much family time? Don’t worry friends, you’re not alone.

Cabin fever is contagious this time of year, and the proof is in the pudding. We analyzed calls made to businesses on Yelp in the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas last year and found that some folks have things other than holiday cheer on their mind.

With calls to businesses in the Nightlife category increasing by 272% on Thanksgiving Day and 393% on Christmas Day, it’s clear that Yelpers are looking to shake the holiday stress away (and searching for something a bit stronger than eggnog).

You can only listen to little Timmy’s rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” for so long before it’s time to seek outside entertainment. Calls to businesses in the Arts & Entertainment category increased by 158% on Thanksgiving Day and 291% on Christmas Day.

Feeling a little sluggish after all those holiday meals? Welcome to the club. Calls to businesses in the Active Life category increased by 165% on Thanksgiving Day and 153% on Christmas Day. Some call it getting a head start on New Year's resolutions, we call it post-pumpkin pie guilt.

Check out the rest of our findings below to see all the ways Yelpers are spending their holiday time. From all of us at here Yelp, we wish you Happy Holidays - and when you’ve had your fill of family time, you know where to find us.

Calls made to businesses in the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas 2014:

Not everyone is willing to prepare a four-course meal on the big day. Calls to businesses in the Restaurant category increased by 428% on Christmas Day.

On your way to grandma’s house and realized you forgot to get Uncle Bob his annual tie? We know the feeling. On Christmas Day, calls to businesses in the Shopping category increased by 212%. That’s a lot of last-minute shoppers.

The week after Thanksgiving, calls to businesses in the Restaurant category only increased by 1%. Perhaps we have leftovers to thank?